Bead/Sand Blast Fan Southern Cal?

[GrindingGears]

I want to clean up my fan housing and fan. Any SoCal pelicanites know where I could do this?

I've read that just blasting a fan (no powder coat) is only temporary and will eventually get dirty again. Truth?

If I did get it powder coated would I still have to get it blasted?
Or could the powder coaters blast it for me?

I don't want any color (red yellow blue) on the fan. Maybe an anodized metallic look. Nothing flashy. Suggestions? Pictures?

Thanks

[Wayne 962]

Engine Machine Service. Probably less than $20. Located off of Manchester in Westchester / Los Angeles...

-Wayne

[GrindingGears]

Right on! Thanks Wayne.


I found a picture of what I'm kind of looking for. This looks like a blasted fan with no powder coat.



I would hate to get it looking like this only to see it get ratty again.

[Gordo2]

I bead blasted mine about 2 months ago. I like the cast look also. I ended up painting my with cast aluminum refinisher's paint. I think you can get a cast looking powder coat as well.

You need some sort of coating for the metal. After bead blasting, the metal soaks in all sorts of contaminants (its very porous). Just touching mine with my hands discolored the metal (back to dull gray).

So far my paint still looks great. Most people recommend powder coating since it holds up better. If it wasn't for the fact that I did the job off the cuff, I would have arranged to powder coat with a cast finish, just to ensure I didn't have the urge to do it again a year from now.

Good luck,

Gordo


BTW:
$20 bucks sounds like a good deal. I pay $15 for 1/2 hour of blasting at a military auto hobby shop with me at the blaster.

[Luke Hudson]

if you do powder coat, you may find that the fan jams in the surround.

I filed down my fan a bit before sending it off to be coated and the fan spins just fine, it saves you ruining the powdercaot by filing it back afterwards!

[GrindingGears]

Luke, excellent advice, thank you. Just to be sure what you did...You took a regular ol' file and went at each fan blade end for a minute or so?

Any pics of the final result?

[Evans, Marv]

I've heard of people filing the blades down or having them machined down at a machine shop by 1 or 2 milimeters. Good time to balance the fan also. You can request a powdercoat of 1 or 3 thousandths in thickness when you get it coated. That's what my powdercoater told me when I had some suspension parts coated.

[Luke Hudson]

Phillip,

That's exactly what i did, used a regular metal file, measured 1mm down the fan blade, scored it and then filed down to the line only took about 30 mins all in all

[GrindingGears]

Easy enough, thanks Luke.